Combination dead lock and spring latch



April 30, 1963 c. A. HILLGREN 3,087,324

COMBINATION DEAD LOCK AND SPRING LATCH Filed Aug. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 6/9/24 .4. Muses/v INVENTOR.

21% faszmzzw April 30, 1963 c. A. HILLGREN 3,087,324

COMBINATION DEAD LOCK AND SPRING LATCH Filed Aug. 8, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/ Q F1 0. 6 20 0 Y 52 I0. 5. 4g 3 Eli-F315? \R l l 170 w 4- 0- i l2 T 55 April 30, 1963 c. A. HILLGREN 3,087,324

COMBINATION DEAD LOCK AND SPRING LATCH Filed Aug. 8, 1960 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6491. A7. A04 L GQEN IN V EN TOR.

311% gam/M 3,@87,3Z l Patented Apr. 30, 1953 3,087,324 COMBINATION DEAD LOCK AND SPRING LATCH Carl A. Hillgren, 351 E. Bay Front, Ealhoa Island, Calif. Filed Aug. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 48,098 4 Claims. (Cl. 70-447) The invention hereinafter disclosed has reference to door locks and especially door locks usable for outside doors. Of special importance in the. invention is a structural expedient by means of which the door lock can be blocked against manipulation from the outside knob by adjustment of a device extending into the lock from the inside knob.

In many types of door locks including those which can be opened by means of a key through the outside knob there is provided some handy manual means for locking the door from the. inside against opening from the outside by use of the conventional knob unless the person is provided with a key. Some of these have been termed privacy locks and others have been termed night locks. These devices have, for the most part, been acceptable in their performance when locks are applied to doors in stationary structures.

Locks of this kind, however, are also used on house trailers, for example, as well as on boats and other vehicles. When used in this way they are subjected to bumping and vibration as the vehicle is moved about. When this happens to a lock that has been locked it is quite possible to cause the lock to become unlocked during travel and hence the lock is not secure neither during travel nor when the vehicle subsequently stops.

To remedy the objection noted, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a lock which includes a new and improved night locking or privacy locking mechanism which remains secure even though a door on which the lock is mounted is subjected to excessive bumping, vibration and twisting.

Another object also is to provide in a door lock a new and improved dead lock mechanism which can positively bar the latch bolt from movement to an unlocked position irrespective of vibration bumping or manipulation or by raking or manipulation by unauthorized persons.

Another object is to provide a door lock which also is equipped with a simple privacy latching mechanism subject to push-button operation which can be readily unlatched by merely rotating the inside knob, thereby to provide a panic-proof lock.

An object of the invention is to provide also in a latch construction a combination securing means which serves both as a dead bolt and a night latch thereby providing double security which can be unlocked only by use of-a key from the outside or by manipulation of the special mechanism on the inside.

In addition to the objects expressly set forth the invention comprehends those variations in structure and arrangement which still fall within the essence of the invention as set forth in the specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a door lock incorporating the invention mounted in a door.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to the main portion of FIGURE 2 but showing the device in a second position of adjustment.

FIGURE 4 is a foreshortened cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the adjustment of FIGURE 2 but under conditions wherein the latch bolt is being manipulated to retract it.

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the parts in a different position of adjustment.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 9 is an exploded view in perspective showing the various parts of the device.

FIGURE 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIGURE 9.

To explain the invention one particular embodiment has been selected as shown in the drawings as being representative of the invention herein involved.

The lock in general consists of a spindle housing It), the general form of which can best be viewed in FIGURE 9 in which a latch bolt housing 11 is adapted to engage. An outside knob 12 to which an outside spindle is affixed is rotatably received in the latch bolt casing. On the opposite side an inside knob 14 to which an inside spindle I5 is afiixed mounts upon the opposite side of the spindle housing with the inside spindle in cooperative relationship with the latch bolt casing.

An escutcheon 16 on the outside, which in the chosen embodiment is part of the spindle housing bears against :an outside face 17 and is adapted to be drawn against the face of the door by employment of suitable screws 19 shown in section in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 which are received in appropriate threaded bosses 20 of the spindle housing. The screws pass through appropriate apertures in an inside escutcheon 21 which is drawn thereby against an inside face 22 of the door 18. An outside decorative rosette 23 is snapped in place over the outside escutcheon and an inside rosette 2,4 is snapped in place over the inside escutcheon.

In this type of lock the basic structure of which is already well-known the latch bolt casing mounts a reciprocating latch bolt 25 which is moved by an actuator 26 in a manner already well-known by reverse acting means (not shown) so that as the actuator moves from right to left as viewed in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4 the latch bolt is withdrawn from an appropriate hole 27 in a door jamb 28'. Both of the spindles are so mounted that they can manipulate the actuator. The outside spindle 13 for example, keyed by appropriate conventional means (not shown) to the outside knob 12 is arcuate in shape as revealed in FIGURES 2., 3 and 4 and upon rotation one end or the other will be pressed against one of the feet 29 of the actuator to push the actuator from right to left thereby to withdraw the latch bolt 25.

A complementary arcuate recess 30 permits rotation of the arcuate outside spindle. The inside spindle 15 is also arcuate in form and of a radius concentric with the radius of the outside spindle 13. When the inside spindle is rotated, as for example by rotation to the position shown in FIGURE 4 one end or the other will bear against one of the feet 29 and reciprocate the latch bolt in a fashion similar to that described for the outside spindle. It will be understood that the inside spindle is keyed by means (not shown) through a sleeve 31 to the inside knob 14. Thus, as long as the door remains unlocked either of the knobs can be rotated to withdraw the latch bolt and thereby open the door.

In addition to the conventional latch bolt 25 and its appropriate operating parts the latch bolt is provided with a dead bolt pin 35 of predetermined length fixed to the latch bolt so that when the latch bolt reciprocates the dead bolt pin will also reciprocate. The end of the dead bolt pin opposite from that attached to the latch bolt 3 slides through an appropriate hole 36 in a plug 37 which is part of the latch bolt casing.

In order to make use of the dead bolt pin and thereby bar the latch bolt from retraction there is provided a blocking shaft 46 which extends through the inside knob 14. The blocking shaft is rotatably mounted by virtue of a slightly enlarged outer end within the inside spindle 15 so that it is snugly but rotatably contained therein. A finger hold 41 is provided on the exterior so that it can be manipulated.

A reduced inner portion 42 of the blocking shaft 40 extends inwardly into the interior of the spindle housing. At its inner end there is provided in the blocking shaft a transverse slot 43 which extends clear through the reduced inner portion 42. The transverse slot 43 is of ample dimensions so that it can receive the dead bolt pin 35 irrespective of where the latch bolt casing may be mounted upon the spindle housing. The reason for making the transverse slot elongated as shown arises from the fact that when the latch bolt casing 11 is slid into a recess 44 in the spindle housing so that edges of the recess engage notches 45 of the latch bolt casing the latch bolt casing will he slid to a greater or lesser degree into the recess depending upon the relative location of a bore 46 in the door relative to the inside and outside faces. Hence the transverse slot 43 has to be long enough so that it will be in alignment with the dead bolt pin 35 regardless of where the latch bolt casing is positioned.

In unlocked position of the door the transverse slot 43 will have the position and alignment illustrated in FIG- URES 2 and 4. When one or the other of the spindles is rotated, as for example the inside spindle 15 as shown in FIGURE 4, to withdraw the latch bolt 25 in the manner heretofore described, the dead bolt pin 35 will move into the transverse slot 43 thereby to permit complete withdrawal of the latch bolt as a result of spindle actuation of either spindle.

To accomplish the dead bolting or dead locking effect, the blocking shaft 40 is rotated from the position shown in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in FIGURE 3. R- tation 90 degrees as shown effects rotation of the transverse slot 43 so that it is no longer in alignment with the dead bolt pin 35. Instead the surface of the reduced inner portion 42 of the blocking shaft lies adjacent the end of the dead bolt pin 35. Hence, when the blocking shaft is rotated to this position by manipulation of the finger hold 41 from the inside of the door, the latch bolt 25 cannot be withdrawn from engagement with the hole 27 because the dead bolt =pin cannot move. Hence, neither the outside knob nor the inside knob can rotate to open the door.

To hold the blocking shaft releasably in this dead bolting position there is provided on the end of the shaft within the spindle housing a change 47 of somewhat irregular shape presenting shoulders 48 and 48'. Employment of the shoulders makes possible locking and unlocking the door from the outside by use of a conventional key 49 operating in a conventional key actuated mechanism 50 to which is attached a key actuated spindle 51. An inner projection 52 of the key actuated spindle when rotated is adapted to engage the shoulder 48 of the blocking shaft 40 thereby to rotate the shaft through a distance of 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG- URES 3 and back to the position of FIGURES 2 and 4. This key actuated operation therefore relieves the dead locking of the latch bolt so that the outside spindle can unlock the latch bolt. By rotation in the opposite direction moving the projection 52 against the shoulder 48', the key can be used to dead lock the device from the outside.

It is also possible to make use of the blocking shaft 46 to bar retraction of the latch bolt 25 by use of the outside knob without interposing the deadlocking feature. This is accomplished by an endwise or axial movement 4 of the blocking shaft. In addition to being rotatably contained within the inside spindle 15 the blocking shaft is also held centrally and rotatably in position by pro jection of a cylindrical boss 55 into an appropriate aperture 56 of an end portion 57 of the shaft. The boss, as shown in FIGURE 9, forms a part of the key actuated spindle 51. The spring 58 acting between the end face of the key actuated spindle 51 and the flange 47 tends normally to urge the blocking shaft toward the inside knob 14.

In conjunction with the blocking shaft for this phase of the operation there is provided a locking slide 60 which incorporates shoes 61 slidably received in appropriate tracks 62 in the spindle housing 10'. Springs '63 tend normally to urge the locking slide 60' in a direction from left to right as viewed in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7.

The locking slide is provided with a detent 64 on the side facing the outside knob 12. The detent is adapted to enter into a pocket 65 formed by end edges 66 and 67 of the outside spindle 13. When the detent 64 is positioned within the pocket 65 the outside spindle and hence the outside knob is barred against rotation.

To make use of this feature of the device the blocking shaft is provided at its outside end adjacent the flange 47 with a shoulder 68 and adjacent the shoulder a recess 69. When the shoulder 68 is placed beneath and supports a trans-verse section 70 of the locking slide as shown in FIGURE 1 the locking slide is held outwardly far enough so that the detent 64 is removed from the pocket 65. Hence in this position the outside knob 12 can be rotated in order to withdraw the latch bolt.

When the blocking shaft is pushed endwise by pressure against the inside end of the shaft far enough to move the shoulder from a position beneath the transverse section 70 the transverse section will fall into the recess 69. This will permit a shift of the locking slide far enough to have the detent 64 enter the pocket 65. When this occurs the outside knob 12 and outside spindle 13 cannot be rotated and hence the door cannot be opened from the outside.

In this position, however, the door can be opened from the outside by use of the key 49. When the key is rotated, the key actuated mechanism 50 is rotated as previously described which causes the projection 52 to be rotated to approximately the position shown in FIGURE 6. From this position the projection 52 is forced against the transverse section 70 of the locking slide 60' throughout a distance sufficient to lift the transverse section to a position where it will clear the shoulder 68. When this happens the spring 58 pressing axially against the flange 47 and accordingly against the blocking shaft 40 moves the blocking shaft far enough so that the shoulder 68 is moved to a location beneath the transverse section 70. In this position the detent 64 has been moved out of the pocket 65 and accordingly the outside spindle and outside knob 12 are again free to be rotated whereby through the agency already described the actuator can be again manipulated to withdraw the latch bolt 25. It will be understood that this same motion returns the blocking shaft endwise to its original position so that it is then ready for either of the operations heretofore described, namely, that of dead locking the lock or that of merely barring manipulation by the outside knob without dead locking.

The shoulder 68 and also a second shoulder 68' at right anglesto the shoulder 68, serve another purpose also,

namely, that of preventing accidental rotation of the blocking shaft from its selected position of rotation. For example, if there be a slight rotation, the shaft will be returned to its initial setting by pressure of the springs 62 acting against the locking slide and the transverse section 70 to press against the shoulder shifting it so that.

the parts are flat against each other.

Irrespectively of which locking manipulation is taken advantage of the lock can be unlocked in the manner already described by use of the key 49. From the description therefore it is apparent that the blocking shaft serves a double function namely, that of deadlocking the look and that of merely blocking rotation of the outside knob. This results in the first instance in securing the lock against any possible jarring loose of the locking arrangement or manipulation from the exterior. In the second instance where deadlocking is not needed the same blocking shaft by quick pressure inwardly against the inside end can merely block manipulation of the latch bolt by the outside =knob. When in the last position the blocking is released not only by key actuation at the outside but also by rotation of the inside knob 14 and accompanying inside spindle 15. The edges of the arcuate portion of the inside spindle 15 for this purpose not only are forced against the feet 29 of the actuator 26 but also are moved against shoulders 71 of the locking slide a distance sufficient to shift the locking slide until the shoulder 68 can be pushed beneath the transverse section 70 by action of spring 58. When this has occurred the locking slide is then in a position wherein the detent 64 is free of the pocket 65 and the outside knob 12 as well as the inside knob 14 can be manipulated to withdraw the latch bolt until one or the other of the locking operations is again taken advantage of.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

I claim:

1. In a door lock comprising a spindle housing having a longitudinal recess at one side, a latch bolt and a latch bolt casing therefor in engagement with the housing in said recess, and a latch bolt actuator in the casing extending into said housing, an inside knob and an inside spindle thereon extending into said housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, an outside knob and an outside spindle thereon extending into the housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, a locking slide having a transversely movable reciprocatable mounting in said housing and a locking element on the slide, a complementary locking element on the outside spindle and resilient means normally urging said slide into a locking engagement with the outside spindle, a shaft reciprocatably mounted in the inside spindle and the knob thereon, means on said shaft adjacent the slide having an engagement with a portion of the slide in a first axial position of the shaft whereby to withhold said slide in a position of disengagement with said outside spindle, a second means on said shaft having an engagement with the slide when said shaft is moved to a second axial position of the shaft whereby to enable movement of said slide to a position of engagement with the outside spindle and block rotation of said outside spindle, said inside spindle having a portion thereof engageable upon rotation with said slide whereby to enable unlocking by rotation of the inside knob at all times.

2. In a door lock comprising a spindle housing having a longitudinal recess at one side, a latch bolt and a latch bolt casing therefor in engagement with the housing in said recess, a latch bolt actuator in the casing extending into said housing, an inside knob and an inside spindle thereon extending into said housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, an outside knob and an outside spindle thereon extending into the housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, a locking slide having a transversely movable reciprocatable mounting in said housing and a locking element on the slide, a complementary locking element on the outside spindle and resilient means normally urging said slide into a locking engagement with the outside spindle, a shaft reciprocatably mounted in the inside spindle and the knob thereon, a shoulder on said shaft adjacent the slide having a position in engagement with a portion of the slide in a first axial position whereby to withhold said slide in a position of disengagement with said outside spindle, means forming a recess on said shaft adjacent the shoulder receptive of said portion of the slide when said shaft is moved against spring pressure to a second axial position of the shaft whereby to enable movement of said slide to a position of engagement with the outside spindle and block rotation of said outside spindle, and a key actuated spindle within the outside spindle engageable upon rotation thereof with said slide whereby to enable unlocking from the outside at all times.

3. In a door lock comprising a spindle housing having a longitudinal recess at one side, a latch bolt and a latch bolt casing therefor in engagement with the housing in said recess, a latch bolt actuator in the casing extending into said housing, an inside knob and an inside spindle thereon extending into said housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, an outside knob and an outside spindle thereon extending into the housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, the combination of a locking slide having a transversely movable reciprocatable mounting in said housing and a locking element on the slide, a complementary locking element on the outside spindle and means normally urging said slide into a locking engagement with the outside spindle, a blocking shaft rotatably and reciprocatably mounted in the inside spindle and extending through the respective knob, a dead bolt pin on said latch bolt, means forming a transverse slot in said blocking shaft in alignment with said dead bolt pin in a first rotative position of the shaft, said shaft having a second rotative position blocking reciprocation of said dead bolt pin, retaining means on said shaft adjacent the slide having positions respectively in engagement with a portion of the slide in a first axial position for both rotative positions of the shaft whereby to withhold said slide in a position of disengagement with said outside spindle, a second means operative in said first rotative position having a position relative to the slide when said shaft is moved to a second axial position of the shaft whereby to enable movement of said slide to a position of engagement with the outside spindle and block rotation of said outside spindle.

4. In a door lock comprising a spindle housing having a longitudinal recess at one side, a latch bolt and a latch bolt casing therefor in engagement with the housing in said recess, a latch bolt actuator in the casing extending into said housing, an inside knob and an inside spindle thereon extending into said housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, an outside knob and an outside spindle thereon extending into the housing to a position of engagement with said actuator, the combination of a locking slide having a transversely movable reciprocal-table mounting in said housing and a locking detent on the slide, .a complementary locking pocket on the outside spindle and resilient means normally urging the detent on said slide into a locking engagement with the pocket in said outside spindle, a blocking shaft rotatably and reciprocatably mounted in the inside spindle and extending through the inside knob, a dead bolt pin on said latch bolt, means forming a transverse slot in said blocking shaft in alignment with said dead bolt pin in a first rotative position of the shaft, said shaft having a second rotative position blocking reciprocation of said dead bolt pin, shoulders on said shaft adjacent the slide having positions respectively in engagement with a. portion of the slide in a first axial position for both rotative positions of the shaft whereby to withhold said slide in a position of disengagement with said outside spindle, means forming a recess in the shaft adjacent the shoulder receptive of said portion of the slide in said first rotative position of the shaft and when said shaft is 7 8' moved against spring pressure to a second axial position References Cited in the file of this patent of the shaft whereby to enable movement of said slide UNITED STATES PATENTS to a position of engagement with the outside spindle and block rotation of said outside spindle, a key actuated 1566575 Best 1925 spindle within the outside spindle engageable upon 10- 5 2,669,474 Kmen 1954 tation thereof with said slide in all positions of the shaft 2,723,874 Hfllgren 15, 1955 whereby to enable unlocking from the outside at all times. 2,803,957 George 1957 

1. IN A DOOR LOCK COMPRISING A SPINDLE HOUSING HAVING A LONGITUDINAL RECESS AT ONE SIDE, A LATCH BOLT AND A LATCH BOLT CASING THEREFOR IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HOUSING IN SAID RECESS, AND A LATCH BOLT ACTUATOR IN THE CASING EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING, AN INSIDE KNOB AND AN INSIDE SPINDLE THEREON EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING TO A POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ACTUATOR, AN OUTSIDE KNOB AND AN OUTSIDE SPINDLE THEREON EXTENDING INTO THE HOUSING TO A POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ACTUATOR, A LOCKING SLIDE HAVING A TRANSVERSELY MOVABLE RECIPROCATABLE MOUNTING IN SAID HOUSING AND A LOCKING ELEMENT ON THE SLIDE, A COMPLEMENTARY LOCKING ELEMENT ON THE OUTSIDE SPINDLE AND RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID SLIDE INTO A LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OUTSIDE SPINDLE, A SHAFT RECIPROCATABLY MOUNTED IN THE INSIDE SPINDLE AND THE KNOB THEREON, MEANS ON SAID SHAFT ADJACENT THE SLIDE HAVING AN ENGAGEMENT WITH A PORTION OF THE SLIDE IN A FIRST AXIAL POSITION OF THE SHAFT WHEREBY TO WITHHOLD SAID SLIDE IN A POSITION OF DISENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OUTSIDE SPINDLE, A SECOND MEANS ON SAID SHAFT HAVING AN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SLIDE WHEN SAID SHAFT IS MOVED TO A SECOND AXIAL POSITION OF THE SHAFT WHEREBY TO ENABLE MOVEMENT OF 